‘The Americans have a government that is actively denying their liberties’

US society lives in a time when neither the 4th amendment, nor the 1st amendment means anything to the government anymore, Constitutional Attorney and Author KrisAnne Hall said in RT’s In the NOW show.

On June 2 the Supreme Court rejected a bid by New York Times reporter James
Risen not to testify at the trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey
Sterling who is accused of disclosing classified information.
Risen argued that he has a right to protect his sources'
identity, either under the Constitution or rules governing
criminal trials. The Supreme Court appeal came amid a debate over
where to draw the line between national security and journalism
freedom.

RT:The Supreme Court offered no explanation
and only refused to overturn the lower court’s decision that
Risen should testify against his source. Will he now have to give
in or go to prison after years of fighting?

KrisAnne Hall: The real question here is what
the impact on our 1st amendment is. If the Supreme Court can't
even weigh in on an issue to protect the liberty of the people
what kind of country do we actually live in? The Supreme Court
has fundamentally said that the 4th circuit is right in saying
that there is no 1st amendment testimonial privilege, whether
absolute or qualified, siding with the Department of Justice who
has made the argument that even if some states in the US believe
that there is some sort of privilege, because there is no
consensus among the courts, no such protection actually exists.
These are violations of the fundamental principles of our 1st
amendment. We do not have the 1st amendment to protect popular
speech. We do not have the 1st amendment to protect us in
criticizing our neighbors. The whole fundamental reason for the
1st amendment as established by the frameworks of our nation was
so that we would be able to criticize and call out the government
for eroded activity and be safe.

RT:Do you think we will see Risen testify
against his source in court?

KH: He does have a choice. He can simply stand
and make a stand for the 1st amendment as he should. Because his
stand at this point is making the world know what state this
country is actually in. If the country would like to overthrow
liberty they would have to begin with free speech, because free
speech is a frightening thing to tyrants. It is our duty and
Risen, Snowden did what they should have done - you have to call
out the government when they are trampling on our right.

RT:A Federal district judge did rule in
2011 that a criminal subpoena is not a free pass for the
government to rifle through a reporter's notebook – is that what
is happening here?

KH: They have to pay a price because that is the
price of liberty? We have yet to sacrifice in this country for
the liberty that has been gifted to us by generations of
sacrifice. The history is replete with people who have said
"I am not going to stand and give in to this tyranny anymore,
I am actually going to stand because liberty is something that my
child deserves, and whatever consequences may be, to me at least
my stand may make a difference and secure liberties for my
children." It is unfortunate that we have to make a
sacrifice, but this is the point in time in society when we have
a government that is actively denying our liberties. The 4th
amendment means nothing to the government anymore, and the 1st
amendment doesn't [mean anything either].

RT:Risen calls this a fight about the first
amendment and freedom of the press claiming it would be
impossible to work without being able to promise sources
confidentiality. How true is that?

KH: I do believe this. [Imagine] if Risen just
stepped back and said "I will give you everything," what
he is doing is giving in to a tyrannical defeat of our 1st
amendment and setting up further violations. Someone has to draw
a red line. Somebody has to say "No more, it has to stop on
my watch." Otherwise we will not have anything. What would
we have if Snowden had not come forward and showed us what our
federal government is doing to violate our 4th amendment? Risen
is actually fundamentally calling out the government for their
denial of our 1st amendment.

RT:Is there a danger for other journalist
to fall into this precedent?

KH: So much has changed. There is a revolution
of the minds of the people in America. I travel across the
country and I teach our liberty to the American people. I taught
2065 times in 22 states last year, and I am seeing an amazing
waking in the people. People want to know more about the 4th
amendment; they want to know more about that limited government
that was originally designed. And they are beginning to see,
because the liberty is worth something and is something that we
need to give to children, that standing is necessary. Just simply
going along and compromising principles is detrimental to the
very liberty and freedom that we believe America is great.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.